Wednesday, December 9, 2020

review of The Lost Shrine series 3: By Blood Betrayed by Amberlyn Holland

 


                            https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40776913-by-blood-betrayed

 

This book continues a series set in a well-realized fantasy universe that is reminiscent of ancient Eire. Each storyline follows a 'power couple' brought together by the Goddess to counter forces of evil let loose by blood magick. Holland has imbued each meeting tale with gripping adventure and relatable personalities who have successfully blended their special abilities with a matrix of loving humanity and greater service to their world.

Those who prefer a veil of sacred euphemism to remain between them and the physical aspects of romance will be pleased by this series, which makes it safe for young adults. Descriptions never stray beyond kissing and cuddling in this third installment.

The three shape-shifting Hound brothers have divided the hunt for dark sorcery between them, with the youngest, Phelan, assigning himself to the dangerous borderlands of Marnak, under the very nose of the evil warlord Trask. As a spying bard he insinuates himself into the rebel underground in search of a lost power place that has been nearly drained by the evil blood magick along the border with his birthplace, the land of the Thousand Tribes. What he finds is a close-knit clan of refugees led by flame haired twins who fled from a monstrous fate.

Selena and her brother were closer to the evil Phelan hunts than they would like to admit, and it still seeks them. She knows her healing magic should be for the land and not for conquest, that family should be aligned with love and not coercion. She's given up on personal dreams of happiness, beyond keeping her brother and their self-made family safe. Is the ballad-singing stranger putting them in danger, or will he help root out a hidden enemy in their midst? Can they muster allies enough to stop the poisoning of their waters? She discovers that she has supernatural allies greater than the darkness, but will they last beyond this hour of peril?

This book stands alone quite well, but you will be craving happy endings for all the heroes.

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